Stranded
by ncis-lady
Summary: Sara Greg oneshot after Midnight Talk.There is a difference between being stranded and being lost. That's what Sara learns when she processes a scene in the middle of the Nevada desert.


Okay sorry for posting such a bad version but my pc screwed up and didn't let me edit the text. So here's the story, this time with paragraphs and this short A/N lol

This oneshot is set after my previous one called "Midnight Talk" which can be found here, too. So have fun, this won't be the last Sandle oneshot I promise!

* * *

**Stranded**

"See ya, guys!", he called and waved at the two CSI men who entered their SUV.

"Good luck with the scene!", one of them laughed and Greg sighed silently. He looked over to the place where a female body had been lying only an hour ago. Now there were only some yellow plastic markers lost in the Nevada desert left to show where a young life had ended violently.

He checked his watch and cursed under his breath. It was already evening, and he ought to be sitting in front of his TV and watch his favorite show. Instead, an emergency call had spoiled it all.

His eyes spotted Sara who was already processing the scene, and for a split second a warm feeling rushed through his body and a smile appeared on his face. Only the two of them in the middle of the desert – that fact suddenly made the job much more attractive. Without taking his eyes off her, he put his vest into their car and closed the door. He locked it as he always did, it was a habit of his, he never left his car unlocked even if he was only a few feet away. After fetching some tools from the trunk, he went over to Sara.

"Found anything yet?"

"Nope", she said and looked up at him.

The setting sun made her tanned skin shine almost golden and the rays of light were reflected by her silky hair. There was something about that picture which fascinated Greg so much that he only just stared at her for a few seconds.

"Greg?"

There was an amused tone in her voice, and he realized that he had to look very stupid. Immediately he turned his head.

"Uhm… I guess I'll start with the area over there then?"

Without waiting for an answer, he walked away. He didn't see the smile on Sara's face that didn't vanish when she, too, concentrated on the scene again.

* * *

Nearly three hours passed until every single square inch had been examined, bags had been filled with cigarettes, some hairs and a piece of a handkerchief. Greg had taken photos of two shoe prints on the sandy ground. He looked up and streched. The sky had darkened, the night was setting in. Not far away from him, Sara was still picking up things from the ground.

Sara… even only thinking of her and hearing the sound of her name inside his mind made Greg smile. He was happy seeing her happy, it was simple. One week had passed since that one night, a night he was sure he'd never forget.

Suddenly she had been there, at his door, and she had told him more than he'd ever thought she would.

And still he didn't know everything.

One of his questions, the most important one of all, remained unanswered.

* * *

Sara looked up and scanned the area. It was getting dark, the sun had nearly completely vanished behind the horizon, and the last rays of light tried desperately to make their way into the open. Sara loved the sunset in the desert, how the blue sky turned into a mysterious grey and finally pitchdark, revealing the starry night which was nowhere as clear as here. She even liked the cool air crawling onto her, starting at her fingertips, crossing her arms and legs and finally reaching her face.

Suddenly she sensed a movement behind her back. She turned around and spotted Greg who was coming towards her. Inevitably, she began to smile. It was amazing, she realized, how just being near him gave her this strange feeling of easiness, of joy, of freedom. She couldn't explain what exactly it was, or why it happened, but it felt good.

And she wondered if she'd ever felt this way with Grissom.

"Hey Greg!", she called, trying to erase these thoughts from her mind. "Finished?"

"Yes!", he replied and grinned at her the way he always did when he was satisfied with himself. "We can go now!"

Side by side they walked over to the SUV and Sara looked expectatly at her co-worker. He stared back at her.

"What?"

"Would you please open the door, darling?", Sara asked with an artificial politeness in her voice.

"Although I really appreciate it when you're calling me like this – I don't have the keys!"

Sara looked at him in disbelief and annoyment.

"That's not funny, Greg", she sighed. "I'm tired, it's getting cold, I want to go home. Really."

She emphasised the last word angrily. Greg put his hands into his pockets, emptied them and revealed some chewing gum, a lighter, some coins and to his emberassment and Sara's amusement a slightly dusty condom still shrink-wrapped, but the keys were missing.

"I don't understand that", Greg mumbled. "I locked the doors and then… oh shit…"

"What? Greg?"

"Well, let's say… the keys aren't far. But…"

Sara glared at the young man and he gave her a weak smile.

"I'm afraid they are in the trunk. Must have slipped them when I fetched my stuff."

"You're kidding."

"No. – Listen, Sara", he added quickly as she kicked the SUV frustratedly. "I… I'm gonna call Nick. Or Catherine. Or… whoever."

He took out his mobile while Sara sat down with her back on the cool metal of the van. He watched her while he did a bunch of frustrating phone calls. The winds was moving her dark hair like grass on an open field, or like waves on the sea. Her arms were resting on her knees and her fingers were playing with the fabric of her jacket. It was such a beautiful image that he hardly dared to disturb it, he could have spent the whole night like this, just looking at her.

She turned her head towards him, and although she was at least 5 metres away, her eyes hypnotized him with the spell he'd been hit with the first time he'd seen Sara Sidle. The spell that he had never wanted to break and that only he had been stunned by.

"Greg, are they gonna send someone?"

The blond man sighed and tried his best to give her his most innocent, forgive-me kind of look.

"Look, Sara, you know, they'll send Nick but…"

"But what?"

"He's still on a case on the other side of the town, Cath said he might make it here in about two hours when he's done with the scene."

"And…"

"The others? Negative", Greg replied shortly to her hidden question.

"Damn."

* * *

For a moment there was silence, only the soft, chilling breeze could be heard, and in the distance Greg spotted the lights of Las Vegas.

He sat down next to Sara, avoiding her look. And although he didn't even touch her, he had shivers down his spine as he saw the air she was exhaling condensate in front of her sensuous lips.

"I'm sorry", he muttered.

"It's okay."

"It isn't, listen, I'm really sorry, Sara. I mean…"

"It's okay Greg", she interrupted him. "Sometimes things just happen and we only notice it when it's too late. Then we can't make these things undone, no matter how much we regret our mistakes, no matter how much we want to change it… It just happens."

The last words she spoke quietly, in a convinced and yet unnaturally shy tone.

A strand of hair covered her face, and it was hard for him to resist stroking them away to sink again into the unfathomable ocean of her eyes.

Instead, he remained silent, listening to her breathing and the soft whisper of the cool wind.

"I wanted to break up with Grissom. But I couldn't."

Her voice was as shaky as her hands.

"Why?" He could have slapped himself for that question, it wasn't his right to ask that. But it was too late to take the words back, and wasn't this typical him?

To his surprise, Sara began speaking again.

"It was weird. I went to him because I wanted to tell him it's over. And then I looked into his eyes, and I saw the love and – I just couldn't do it."

What was he supposed to say? All of his words would come out wrong, and he didn't want to make it worse for her. He only wanted to see her smile again.

* * *

It was cold. If Sara had known they would be stuck out there for so long, she would have taken her jacket with her, but now it was lying safely in the van while she was freezing. It amazed her how it could get so chilly in the desert when it had been hot all day. She rubbed her forearms, and after a minute it got a bit better. At least the cold had distracted her from everything else – like the worried look on Greg's face and the emptiness she felt inside.

She was stranded on a lonely island of self-doubt and fear, and when you can't find your way home, away from the island, you have to distract yourself before you go insane.

Sometimes Sara wondered if maybe it was already too late.

"Are you cold?", a warm voice suddenly asked.

Sara shook her head to show that it was okay, but of course it was a vain attempt.

"You're freezing", Greg stated.

Without further explanations, he took off his jacket.

"What are you doing?", Sara asked sceptically.

"Being a gentleman", was the simple answer, and the next moment she was wrapped in the black jacket which was definitely over-sized for her, and Greg rubbed her arms carefully.

"Getting better?"

She smiled thankfully, and although she thought for one second that she should say something, she realized that words were unnecessary right now.

* * *

It was getting dark, the landscape was fading in the black, and as Greg's face was so close to hers, she could hardly make out the outlines of his features. All she could see were his eyes and herself mirrored in them.

She saw her own silhouette in the deep sea of his eyes, and she remembered the saying that the eyes reflect the soul of a person.

Without asking, she knew that right now Greg was seeing himself in her eyes as well. In this moment Sara realized that there was something true about this saying.

She was stranded. But she wasn't lost.

* * *

Greg had never thought that time could really stand still, he had taken it as one of those things some writer of fluffy novels would write, just to let the sweet lady be kissed by her hero. He had laughed about it.

But there was one thing he had forgotten. Sometimes we come to a point in our lives, a short moment only, when we feel the silence surround us and the one we love. It's a peaceful silence that enchants us with all the non-spoken words, and we wish for this moment to last forever. And although we can't stop the world turning, the magic of this moment makes us feel like time stands still.

He had never imagined, let alone experienced it.

But it felt good when his lips tenderly met hers, and time stood still for them.

* * *


End file.
